Plainview detectives become Big Brothers and Sisters

By HOMER MARQUEZ Herald News Editor

Published 6:28 am, Friday, October 4, 2013

Photo: Homer Marquez/Plainview Herald

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Plainview Police Detective Robert Gallardo hands off the ball to Kabron Lewis during recess at Highland Elementary. Gallardo is one of the five detectives involved with the Big Brother Big Sister “Lunch Buddy” program. less

Plainview Police Detective Robert Gallardo hands off the ball to Kabron Lewis during recess at Highland Elementary. Gallardo is one of the five detectives involved with the Big Brother Big Sister “Lunch ... more

Photo: Homer Marquez/Plainview Herald

Plainview detectives become Big Brothers and Sisters

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Just with a simple lunch time conversation, Plainview Police Department detectives have found another way to serve the community as the criminal investigators have recently joined forces with the local branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters in the effort of spreading a positive influence to local children.

“We love anything we can do for the community,” said Criminal Investigations Division Capt. Manuel Balderas. “All the detectives participating are really enjoying this. Anything we can do to make a positive impact, even if it’s a small impact, is well worth our time.”

But the impact is far from small as the officers seem to be offering invaluable positive influences through BBBS’ Lunch Buddy program, which allows “Bigs” to have lunch and build friendships with their “Littles” during their lunch breaks.

“They’re doing a great thing,” said Hale County BBBS coordinator Herminia Armendariz. “It’s only 30 minutes once a week, but it’s amazing the difference 30 minutes makes to these kids. The kids think it’s really cool, and they get to see these police officers in a different light because a lot of them have had a bad perspective of them.”

Both Balderas and Armendariz agree that the different light was extremely beneficial for the “Littles” who often had little recourse for positive influences in their everyday life.

“We want to build relationships and be more personal with these kids,” Balderas said. “We want to show them we are people just like them.”

Armendariz said she came up the idea for the partnership after attending a fitness class with Balderas.

“I asked them if they wanted to do it, and they were immediately on board,” Armendariz said.

“It’s a good cause, so we were all for it,” said detective Robert Gallardo, who visited his little brother Kabron Lewis on Thursday during Highland Elementary School’s lunch hour.

Currently the detectives have been partnered with “Littles” just on the Highland campus, but Armendariz says she plans to expand to other campuses once she gets more volunteers.

Armendariz added that volunteers from any profession would provide a great influence on the kids as she plans on approaching local professionals to either join the program, or at least volunteer as a lunch buddy.

Other organizations which help out with the lunch program included Plainview High’s National Honor Society and Wayland Baptist University’s Kappa Delta Pi.

Currently the Big Brothers Big Sister program has matched 30 kids with big siblings and still has 10 pending, but Armendariz says more volunteers are needed to fill the needs in Hale County alone.

For more information about the program, individuals can contact Armendariz at 806-288-9271 or email herminia.armendariz@bbbslubbock.org.